School Parcel Tax Fails by 4 Votes in Recount

A tax to benefit Beverly Hills schools fell four votes shy of passage, according to results of a recount announced Wednesday.

The parcel tax measure in the June 5 election collected 6,862 votes, or 66.63%, elections officials said. Votes against the proposal numbered 3,436, or 33.36%. The levy needed approval by two-thirds of the voters--or 6,866--to pass.

Supporters of the tax requested the recount, done by hand, after a computer tally last month showed the measure fell five votes shy.

The assessment on each residential and commercial parcel of land in the city would have raised $4.5 million a year for the Beverly Hills Unified School District. Its failure means teachers lose a 3% pay raise for the coming school year, which was negotiated during the teachers’ strike last fall but made contingent on the tax’s passage.